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Security & Intelligence · Last updated November 2026

Intelligence Officer (MI5, SIS/MI6 and GCHQ): free practice test

Intelligence officers investigate threats to UK national security: MI5's officers run desk-based investigations into terrorism and state threats inside the UK, MI6 works overseas, and GCHQ works with signals and cyber intelligence. Entry is through each agency's own website, with online tests, interviews and assessment exercises, followed by Developed Vetting, the highest UK security clearance. MI5's Intelligence Officer Development Programme is a structured six-year pathway open to graduates with a 2:2 in any subject or to people with relevant work experience.

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About the Intelligence Officer exam

Intelligence officers investigate threats to UK national security: MI5's officers run desk-based investigations into terrorism and state threats inside the UK, MI6 works overseas, and GCHQ works with signals and cyber intelligence. Entry is through each agency's own website, with online tests, interviews and assessment exercises, followed by Developed Vetting, the highest UK security clearance. MI5's Intelligence Officer Development Programme is a structured six-year pathway open to graduates with a 2:2 in any subject or to people with relevant work experience.

What's on the exam

Intelligence Officer
The Intelligence Officer Role and Eligibility
8 key facts
Online Tests: Verbal and Critical Reasoning
6 key facts
Online Tests: Situational Judgement and Behaviours
6 key facts
Written Analysis Exercise: Assessing Intelligence
7 key facts
Developed Vetting, Discretion and Security
7 key facts
Interviews and Assessment Centre Exercises
6 key facts
Application Strategy and Timeline
6 key facts
Training and Your First Years
6 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the Intelligence Officer exam

  • Keep your application private. Only discuss it with people the agency allows (MI5 and MI6 guidance points to your partner or close family), never post about it online, and do not apply for other government roles at the same time as MI6.
  • Be completely honest in every form and in vetting. The agencies say clearance can be refused or withdrawn if you lie or withhold information; past issues honestly disclosed are often manageable, concealment is not.
  • Practise critical reasoning: spotting assumptions, separating facts from assessments, and judging how reliable a source is. These skills run through the tests, the written exercise and the interviews.
  • For written exercises, lead with the bottom line: what you assess, how confident you are and what should happen next, then the evidence. Clear, concise writing is a core skill for intelligence officers.

Save your results and get your Readiness Score

Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the UK Public-Service Hiring Process Cheat Sheet.

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What's in the premium Intelligence Officer prep

Premium Intelligence Officer prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.

3,000practice questions, every answer explained
6full-length mock exams, 50 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 8 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    The Intelligence Officer Role and Eligibility8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Online Tests: Verbal and Critical Reasoning8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  3. 3
    Online Tests: Situational Judgement and Behaviours8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Written Analysis Exercise: Assessing Intelligence8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Developed Vetting, Discretion and Security7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    Interviews and Assessment Centre Exercises7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    Application Strategy and Timeline7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. 8
    Training and Your First Years7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  9. Final step: 6 full mock exams50 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
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Free with an account

Read the complete Intelligence Officer study notes for “The Intelligence Officer Role and Eligibility”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 12 minutes of reading: Three agencies, three missions · Nationality, residency and age · Qualifications and routes in · Pay, location and process, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.

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Study tools included

3,000 practice questions

3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organized topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

6 full mock exams

6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.

Exam Readiness Score

One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready to book. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.

800 flashcards + spaced repetition

800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

60 comprehensive key notes

60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. Argument: "The subject's phone was in Leeds at 2 pm, so he cannot have attended the meeting in London at 2 pm." Which assumption does this argument depend on?
Answer: The subject had his phone with him at 2 pm. The conclusion only follows if the subject and the phone were in the same place. If he left the phone with someone else, he could have been in London. Spotting the hidden link between evidence and conclusion is central to critical reasoning and to intelligence assessment.
2. Passage: "A single uncorroborated report should rarely be the sole basis for action. Where time allows, analysts seek a second, independent source before treating a report as reliable." Which statement follows from the passage?
Answer: Independent corroboration increases confidence in a report. The passage says analysts seek a second, independent source before treating a report as reliable, so independent corroboration increases confidence. 'Rarely' is not 'never', so action on one report is possible. Two reports from the same source are not independent.
3. An investigation team has 120 open leads. In week one, 25% are closed. In week two, 40% of the remaining leads are closed. How many leads are still open?
Answer: 54. 25% of 120 is 30, leaving 90. 40% of 90 is 36, leaving 54. Taking both percentages from the original 120 (30 + 48 = 78 closed, 42 open) is the classic error: each change applies to the figure left at that point.
4. All members of a group use a particular messaging app. Some users of that app live in Bristol. Which statement must be true?
Answer: None of these statements must be true. The facts allow group members to live in Bristol but do not require it: the Bristol users of the app might all be non-members. Nothing says everyone in Bristol uses the app. When no option is forced by the premises, 'none must be true' is correct.
5. You are assessing four pieces of information about a planned event. Which should normally carry the most weight?
Answer: A detailed, recent first-hand account from a source with a good track record, partly confirmed by other evidence. Analysts weigh source reliability (track record, access) and information credibility (first-hand, recent, corroborated). The first option scores well on both. Popularity online, hearsay and a poor track record all lower the weight you can give information.
6. You have resources to follow up only one lead today. Which should you prioritise?
Answer: A lead with a credible indication of possible harm in the next 48 hours. Prioritisation weighs the seriousness of the potential harm against how soon it might happen and how credible the information is. A credible threat of harm within 48 hours outranks older or easier work. Explaining that reasoning clearly is as important as the choice itself.
7. Which is the best opening sentence for a short briefing note to a senior manager?
Answer: We assess the group is likely planning a protest, not violence, next week; we recommend monitoring rather than further action. Senior readers need the bottom line first: the assessment, how likely it is and the recommendation. Background and methods come after. Using calibrated words such as 'likely' shows your confidence level without overstating it.
8. Which of these statements is an assessment rather than a fact?
Answer: The subject probably intends to meet an associate in Madrid. The other statements can be checked against records. 'Probably intends to meet an associate' is a judgement about intent based on evidence, so it is an assessment. Keeping facts and assessments clearly separate is a basic discipline in intelligence writing.
9. Two reports say the same person will travel next week. Which situation gives genuine corroboration?
Answer: The reports come from two unconnected sources with different access. Corroboration needs independence: separate sources with their own access to the information. Repeats from the same source, or one report recycling another, add volume but not confidence. This is a common trap in both exercises and real casework.
10. At a party, an acquaintance asks what job you have just applied for. You are part-way through an MI5 application. What is the best response?
Answer: Say you have applied for a civil service role and change the subject, without mentioning MI5. The agencies ask candidates to keep their application private and to discuss it only with permitted people, such as a partner or close family. A truthful, non-specific answer protects you and the agency without lying. Sharing details, even 'in confidence', is exactly what the guidance warns against.
11. A colleague jokingly suggests using work systems to look up an ex-partner 'just to see what comes up'. What should you do?
Answer: Refuse, make clear it would be misuse of systems and against the law, and report it if they go ahead. The agencies' powers may only be used where necessary and proportionate for authorised purposes, and access is audited. Personal curiosity is never a lawful reason. Refusing, stating why, and reporting misuse protects the public, the agency and your colleague.
12. On your vetting questionnaire you are asked about past drug use. You used cannabis a few times three years ago. What should you do?
Answer: Disclose it honestly and accurately. Vetting is built on honesty. Government guidance says clearance may be refused or withdrawn if you lie or withhold information. Past behaviour honestly disclosed is assessed in context; concealment shows exactly the unreliability vetting is designed to detect.
13. What residency rule do MI5 and GCHQ usually apply to applicants?
Answer: Resident in the UK for 7 of the last 10 years, with some exceptions such as study abroad or HM Forces service. Both agencies say you will usually need to have lived in the UK for seven of the last ten years, assessed case by case, with common exceptions such as studying abroad, living overseas with parents or serving with HM Forces. You must also be a British citizen; since November 2022 there is no parental nationality rule.
14. What level of security clearance do roles at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ require?
Answer: Developed Vetting (DV), the highest level. MI6 says everyone in the UK intelligence community goes through Developed Vetting, the highest security clearance. DV includes a detailed questionnaire, checks of records and finances, interviews with referees and a detailed interview with a vetting officer.
15. According to MI5, how long can its recruitment process take, and how many applications can you have open at once?
Answer: Six to nine months; one application at a time. MI5 says its process can last from six to nine months because candidates go through vetting as well as role selection, and you may only submit one application at a time. Plan to stay in your current job or studies until you have a final offer.

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Certification guide

Public-service interview questions and how to answer them: UK public-service interviews are structured: every candidate is asked the same questions and scored against a published framework, such as the Civil Service [Success Profiles](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles) or the police [Competency and Values Framework](https://www.college.police.uk/career-learning/competency-and-values-framework). That makes them predictable. If you know the framework and have the right examples ready, you can prepare for almost every question you'll be asked.

Intelligence Officer exam FAQ

How many questions are on the Intelligence Officer exam?

Varies by agency and role: online tests such as verbal or critical reasoning and situational judgement, written exercises, interviews and an assessment centre. The agencies do not publish formats or question counts, with a time limit of not published. mi5 says the whole process, including vetting, takes six to nine months. Format: online tests are taken remotely; assessment exercises are closed book. each agency publishes its own position on using ai in applications; read it before you start.

What is the passing score for Intelligence Officer?

Not published. Candidates are assessed against the role's requirements, and every offer is conditional on passing Developed Vetting (DV).

How much does the Intelligence Officer exam cost?

No fee. Most UK public-service applications are free. The police promotion and investigators' exams are arranged through your force, and degree routes may have tuition costs, so check the job advert or your force before you start.

Which languages is the Intelligence Officer exam offered in?

English (other languages are an asset for many roles).

Where do I take the Intelligence Officer exam?

Online application and tests through each agency's own careers website (MI6 applications must be made from within the UK), then interviews and assessment exercises, then Developed Vetting.

Is this Intelligence Officer practice test free?

Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full Intelligence Officer prep is Premium at £45 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium Intelligence Officer prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (The Intelligence Officer Role and Eligibility: 375; Online Tests: Verbal and Critical Reasoning: 375; Online Tests: Situational Judgement and Behaviours: 375; Written Analysis Exercise: Assessing Intelligence: 375; Developed Vetting, Discretion and Security: 375; Interviews and Assessment Centre Exercises: 375; Application Strategy and Timeline: 375; Training and Your First Years: 375), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 50 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 8 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

Compare Intelligence Officer with other public-service careers

Related practice tests

Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in November 2026. The recruiting organisation changes formats and fees, so confirm with MI5 (the Security Service), the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS/MI6) and GCHQ before you book. UKCivilServicePrep is an independent career-prep service, not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency.

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